


Here

by vociferocity



Series: Self-Indulgent Sheith Fics [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Arguing, Between Episodes, First Kiss, Fix-It of Sorts, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 11:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15728880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vociferocity/pseuds/vociferocity
Summary: (spoilers for S7)Krolia leaves the team, and Keith is all alone in the Black Lion. Kosmo just wants to help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place between eps 5 & 6 in season 7. I'm just filling in some gaps.
> 
> There's no place else I could be  
> but here in your arms

Keith is alone.

Well - technically, he's not. He's flying in formation with the other paladins, and Kosmo (dang it, the name's really stuck) is curled up having a nap at the back of the cockpit, but Krolia...his mom...is gone.

It's funny how quickly you get used to having someone around. You can live your whole life without someone, but spend two years trapped in a time vortex together, and a handful of weeks crammed together in a cockpit, and...they become necessary. And now she's gone. Again.

He's not crying. And he's not alone.

He's just not having a great day.

Keith fails to suppress a sniffle, and he hears Kosmo move behind him.

"It's ok, buddy," he says, a little damply. But Kosmo whines, and before Keith can try to console him, Kosmo's flashed away.

Well. Now he really _is_ alone. But Keith's not an idiot, and he knows Kosmo always wants to help. So he's probably gone for backup. Keith wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, and waits for whoever it's going to be. Allura, maybe? Or Hunk? They're really nice, and frankly he could use nice right now. Just as long as it's not Coran -

Kosmo flashes back, and for a moment Keith worries. There's a tall figure holding on to his wolf. Then the glare fades, and thank goodness. It's Shiro.

"Keith?" Shiro says, a little disoriented. Which, fair enough. Flashing around with Kosmo is weird at the best of times.

"Hey," Keith says, and something in his voice must sound a little off, because Shiro straightens up in an instant, his voice going serious.

"Are you okay?" Shiro asks.

Keith shrugs. He's pretty sure if he tries to say anything else he'll start sniffling again, and that's his absolute least favourite thing to do in front of Shiro.

"Have you been alone in here since Krolia left?" Shiro asks instead, and Keith nods and looks away.

This is really embarrassing. For all the people for Kosmo to fetch. He's really going to cry. Yikes.

Shiro puts a hand on the console, and murmurs to the Lion. The Black Lion has always had such a close bond with Shiro, and Keith isn't _jealous_ exactly, but he doesn't think she'd let his consciousness just stow away if he died, so maybe he is, just a little.

Without warning, Keith's seat twitches, then extends on either side, becoming almost like a _couch_. And then Shiro sits down next to him, disconcertingly close.

"Hey," Shiro says, and geeze, now he's put a hand on Keith's shoulder. "It's okay, Keith. Krolia's tough - she'll take care of herself. You'll see her again soon, I know it."

He doesn't. But it sure does feeel good to hear it, especially coming from Shiro. He's always so calm. So steady.

"I missed you," Keith chokes out suddenly, and oh no, here come the waterworks. "When you were gone - I - I missed you. A lot."

Shiro's arms - _arm_ \- comes around his shoulder, and Keith leans in close. He closes his eyes and just breathes in that old familiar scent. Literally everything in his life has changed except for how Shiro smells, and how it feels to have Shiro comfort him.

"I think I always knew," he confesses softly. "That you were gone, that _he_ wasn't you. I couldn't stick around... the others think I abandoned them, but I just couldn't stand _missing you_ so much when it seemed like you were _right there_."

Shiro's grip on him tightens.

"I missed you too," he says, and his breath is warm on Keith's face, and thinking about losing Shiro _again_ is just too much, and so Keith just - turns abruptly - and they're kissing.

Keith hasn't done a whole lot of kissing before, but he's pretty sure this is a good one. Shiro is warm and soft, and his arm around Keith is so solid, and the kiss is going on and _on_ and -

and then Shiro pulls away, and the bottom of Keith's stomach falls out.

Shiro looks stricken.

"We can't," Shiro blurts out, and he's standing up, and _turning away_ , and Keith can't believe he misread this situation this badly.

"We definitely can't," Shiro says again, like he wants Keith to agree, or argue, and instead of any of that, Keith comes out with,

"I kissed your clone."

And that's just about put the lid on it, hasn't it, because Shiro turns back around, and now Keith can't read his expression at all.

"You what?" he asks, flatly.

Keith bites his lip, and looks away. "Technically he kissed me," he says. He still feels completely off-balance. He can feel the ghost of Shiro's face against his, Shiro's spit drying on his mouth, goosebumps where his shoulder is getting cold after having Shiro's warmth pressed against him.

"It was before I left," he says. He's not sure why he's explaining it.

Shiro closes his eyes. "I don't think I want to hear about it," he says, and Keith is officially going to die of humiliation. He's going to ask Pidge to invent proper time travel, and then he's going to come back to this moment and kill himself before he does anything so stupid as _kiss Shiro_.

"Sorry," Keith says. He's feeling kind of - adrift.

"It's okay," Shiro says, with his eyes still closed. Because he can't look at Keith, because Keith is an idiot. "It's just - I want - we _can't_. I'm sorry."

And Keith watches as Shiro turns away again, walks over to Kosmo, flashes away. He _lets him_.

And then he just has to laugh, because now he's really alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Hunk has decided they need to have family mealtimes. They work out how to put the Lions in what's basically autopilot, and Kosmo flashes them all into the Black Lion's hold, because it's the largest, and Hunk feeds them what he generously calls  _food_. At least it tastes good.

They don't really have strategy to talk about, since they seem to be in the middle of literally nothing, and the only strategy is "keep drifting through space". Coran has finally gotten to the end of his seemingly infinite array of implausible tales, and even Romelle doesn't have anything else to teach them about her Altean outpost. So they're down to just...talking. 

Which has been awkward, since Keith's absolute failure of a move on Shiro. Keith is pretty sure nobody knows the details, but he and Shiro are quiet enough with each other that he figures they know  _something_ happened.

And then Lance brings up Axca, and he has to reconsider.

"I mean, she's cute, right?" Lance is saying. "For a  _Galra_ , anyway. But maybe she looks too much like your mom? Is that why you didn't go for her?"

"They don't look that much alike," Pidge says. "I guess they're both kinda pointy."

"And pretty," Romelle adds. Keith has questions about her.

"He didn't  _not go for her_ ," Hunk points out. "We lost her before she could ever really make a move."

"You're right," Lance says, drawing it out delightedly. "So... was it going to be a yes? Were you going to be  _Mr Axca_?"

Keith rolls his eyes. "Oh,  _definitely,_ " he drawls. "She was  _so_  my type."

"She wouldn't be good for you. Plus, she's too old," Shiro says.

The group goes silent, Pidge's cackle at Keith's unexpected sarcasm trailing awkwardly off into nothing.

For a moment, Keith manages to keep his cool. Breathe in. Let it go. Breathe out. Shiro is a dick.

"I don't think she is," he ends up saying, very mild. "I guess it's hard to know how Galra age, but I always got the impression she was around your age."

"That's  _too old,"_ Shiro says.

In his peripherals, Keith can kinda see the others gesturing and whispering at each other. Like he gives a shit.

"No it's  _not_ ," he says. "And also? Not your business. You made this  _not your business_ when you  _left_. Don't pretend you care now."

"I  _do_ care _,"_  Shiro says, which frankly, is bullshit.

Without even meaning to, Keith shoves his chair back from the stack of crates pretending to be a table, and stands. The edges of his vision is red.

" _Sure,"_ he snaps. "Lie to me, I just  _love_  when you do that."

Shiro's standing too, and he's flushed to his roots. "I'm not lying! I care about you, Keith. But we met when you were a  _kid_. I'm too old for you."

Keith is seriously so done with this. "Like that matters?" he asks. "I'm not a kid anymore. And you  _died._ I went through a  _time vortex_! How old are  _either_ of us now?"

"It's not just that," Shiro says, but he's quieter now, less certain.

"Then  _what_?" Keith asks. "Nothing from Earth matters now. We're just two guys in a shitty situation and if you  _wanted me_ we'd make it work. But you  _don't_. So it's fine."

Shiro is silent for a long moment. Long enough for Keith to realise the room has emptied. He can't blame the others for not wanting to stick around for the fight. He doesn't want to be here either.

"I do, Shiro says, very softly. "I do want you, Keith. But it's not that simple."

Keith closes his eyes. "It  _is_  that simple," he says, exasperated to his absolute limit. "If you wanted me, you'd fight for me. But like I said, I get it. It's fine."

"It's not fine," Shiro says, and his voice is very close. Keith opens his eyes, and Shiro is right in front of him. He's leaning in. He's -

They're kissing again. 

It's fiercer than last time. Shiro's arm is around Keith's waist, pulling him close. Keith wraps his arms around Shiro. If he pulls away again..

But he doesn't. Shiro holds him close, and under his hot mouth Keith opens up for him completely, pressed so close he can't tell where he ends and Shiro begins. He has one hand tangled in Shiro's soft hair, and one cupping Shiro's jaw, feeling Shiro's pulse just  _race_ under his fingertips. 

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Shiro pulls back just a fraction. He's still so close that Keith could count his eyelashes. His eyes are huge and concerned. 

"Keith," he says softly. "I need you to know I care about you."

Keith leans forward and rests his forehead against Shiro's shoulder. "Maybe you should kiss me some more," he says with a laugh. "That was doing a really great job of convincing me."

Shiro laughs as well, low and warm, and kisses the top of his head.

"Like that?" he asks, too-innocent.

Keith turns his face up at Shiro and scowls.

Shiro laughs again, and kisses him properly. Then he pulls back.

"Maybe we should...take this somewhere private?" he suggests. "Where there isn't an audience?"

Keith looks down, and Kosmo is there, staring up at them, looking  _exceedingly_ smug.

"There's nowhere private enough to escape this asshole," he says, "but I wouldn't mind finding somewhere a little more comfortable."

They take advantage of Kosmo to flash to Keith's quarters, and then Keith has to abandon all dignity and actually beg Kosmo to leave. Which he does, eventually.

Then Keith turns, and Shiro is on his bed, looking up at him with dark eyes under soft eyelashes, a flush sitting high on his cheeks. He looks nervous, but happy, and he's looking at Keith like the sunrise after a storm.

For a moment, Keith thinks of the  _other_ Shiro. The one who'd walked in on Keith's training session, who'd sparred with him and then, heavy on top of Keith on the training mat, had held him down and kissed him. Who'd said things like,  _I know you want this_ , and who Keith had thought was right.

But he wasn't, because now Keith knows that  _this_ was what he wanted.

Something slow, and warm, and soft, and -

"Will you stop looking at me and get over here already?" Shiro asks, flush deepening. 

Keith goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No promises, but I miiight add an epilogue with some proper smut. Let me know if you'd be keen for that!


End file.
